Starkid one shots
by Lonikje
Summary: Collection of my Starkid one shots based on prompts I get. Feel free to send me any AU prompts!
1. Stalker

Prompt: "We both like walking in the park at night and I think you're a stalker. So I accidentally attack you and give you a black eye AU"

Pairing: Joey and OC/reader (duh!)

Backstory: You just moved in with Joey in LA. This was a big step for you since you don't know anyone there except for him and his theatre friends. But it's not what you expected it to be.

"You didn't!" I gasped , looking up from my laptop and staring at my boyfriend.

Joey just stood there, pleading with his eyes for me to let this go but I couldn't.

"Joey, you had rehearsals today and for the last five days! Can't you sit this one out? You promised!" I tried. It was true, he and his theatre friends had a new show coming up and he spend more time in the theatre than he did at home with me.

So to make up for lost time, Joey and I were supposed to go out tonight. But I guess those plans were cancelled now...

"I know, (y/n). But you know how Nick and Matt are like during tech week. I swear to dead wizard God they actually are trying to kill us this time," he smiled trying to lighten the mood.

I huffed. I knew I was acting childish, but I was looking forward to our time alone. I told him that.

"It's just... you know, I just moved in here with you but you're never home. I think I spend more time in here alone than I got to spend time with you!" I looked back at my laptop and started typing again. "If I didn't know any better, I might start to think you're avoiding me."

"Now you're overreacting. You know I love you and I love spending time with you. But we had problems with the mics today and the projector didn't do what it was supposed to do, so the Langs wanted to do another run through tonight. Just to make sure," he explained. "You can come if you want?"

I shook my head. "No thank you. I'll only be in your way and I wouldn't want your friends to think I'm the controlling type of girlfriend."

He snorted. "Oh, don't worry, they already think that."

He raised his hands as he saw my eyes widen. "I'm joking! I'm joking!"

He gathered his things and kissed my head. "I have to go, love. I'm sorry for tonight. I promise I'll make it up to you."

Before he closed the door, he yelled, "Don't wait up!"

Great... home alone. Again.

I looked at the clock and sighed. It was almost 1 am and still no Joey.

My thoughts began to wonder and I started feeling a bit homesick. I left everyone in Michigan, my friends, my family, ... back then I didn't have time to spare, I was always busy. But here in LA I had way too much time on my hands. Especially since I was alone most of the time. I didn't have a job yet – working on that – and I didn't made any friends outside Joey's friend circle.

If I would be in Michigan right now, I probably would go for my nightly walk. Walking at night was so relaxing, no sounds, no people, ... just me and my thoughts. But I couldn't do that here, could I?

I thought about it for a moment. Why not? I didn't know my way around LA that well, but I recalled a little park not far from our apartment block. I could probably find it, sit on a bench for a while and who knows? When I get back, Joey could be home by then.

I pulled on a sweater and my sneakers, grabbed my keys – forgot my phone – and headed out the door.

When I walked towards where I thought the park was, I was getting a strange feeling. Like when someone's watching you. I shook it off, of course people are watching you. It's LA for god's sake! So I picked up my pace and crossed the street. Now where was that park again...?

Just when I was thinking about turning back, I spotted a little park next to a playground. It wasn't the park I was looking for, but it'll have to do.

A sudden noise made me turn. I saw someone walking a couple of feet behind me; dark clothes, hoodie, hands in his pockets, ... Everything about this figure screamed danger.

I quickly ran towards the playground and entered the park.

Why did I want to do this again? What was I thinking going out alone in a city I didn't know?

I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

But the noise of someone walking on gravel made my head snap up.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. The hooded figure walked over the playground and headed straight towards me.

I started running and I heard his pace quicken as well. Fuck!

My phone! I started tapping all my pockets before I realized I left it at our apartment.

"Alright, (y/n), it's up to you then," I whispered. Growing up with older brothers had roughened me, so I could easily defend myself if I wanted to. But this was different. This was real.

I hid myself between the bushes and waited.

As soon as I got sight of my stalker, I flexed my muscles and made myself ready to jump out.

The guy stopped not far from me, close enough to hear him say, "Where did she go?"

"Right here, you freak!" I yelled while literally launching myself on to him. Although he was almost a head taller than me, he fell to the ground. I climbed on top of him and started punching. He tried to get me off of him, but I wouldn't let him.

"Stop it!" he yelled. "(y/n), it's me!"

At the sound of my name, I froze. I quickly stood up and backed away.

My 'stalker' held a hand over his eye as he tried to get up. "Jeez, (y/n), you got a good right hand."

"Joey?" I gasped.

Joey grabbed his phone out of his pocket and turned the flashlight on. Now I could see his face and I felt instant relief and regret.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I said as I was hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Well, I can say I'm feeling a bit better now that I know you can stand your ground if needed."

I looked at him and touched his cheek with my hand.

"It's starting to swell. We should go home, so I can take care of you," I said.

By the time we got home, his eye and a part of his left cheek was starting to bruise.

"I hope they're not going to be mad at me, you'll need tons of make up to cover that up..." I said with the most apologizing look I could muster.

"Nah, they wouldn't do that to you. What I'm afraid of is that they wouldn't let me hear the end of this. I got beaten up by my girlfriend who is not bigger than an elf!"

I slapped his shoulder.

"Then why did you follow me in the first place?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? I was almost home and I saw you leaving in the middle of the night! Of course I would follow you, something could've happened to you!"

"You worry about me?" I whispered. I wasn't used to this kind of affection. Long story.

"Of course I do. (y/n), I love you! I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you!" Joey said while he started stroking my hair.

"We should get some sleep, it's near 2 am..." I sighed.

He picked me up and walked us to our bedroom. I looked at him and started laughing.

"What?" he asked.

"You wouldn't happen to play a pirate in the show, would you?" I giggled when I looked at him and his black eye.

"Oh, I'll show you what this pirate can do, ma'am!" he said while kicking the door open with his foot.


	2. The Little Café

**Prompt** : "We got caught by this awful storm and now we're waiting for it to calm under the roof of a café, want to go inside and have a coffee in the meantime?"

 **Pairing** : Rosenwalker (Brian Rosenthal – Joseph Walker)

 **Background info** : Brian and Joseph are roommates for about a year. Brian still attends college, Joe is already working. Brian is crushing on Joe, even though he knows he never could feel the same way.

* * *

Brian was hanging out in the living room, watching some kind of Asian tv-show. He didn't know what made him stop and watch this particular program, especially because he didn't understand a word they were saying; but he found it funny to think of what the hosts were commenting. If his roommate Joe would be here, they would make fun of it together.

He glanced towards the clock, Joe could be home any minute now. The weather forecast had warned people of a heavy storm during the evening and most of the night. He would feel more at ease when Joe was home. Not that he couldn't handle being home alone during a thunderstorm, but he would feel safer when Joe was around.

Joe worked at the gym a couple blocks away. His working hours didn't always match Brian's hours in school, so sometimes it took them a while before they saw each other. Tonight was no different.

The front door swung open and Joe ran inside, soaking wet.

"Five minutes in the pouring rain and I'm soaked," he laughed, but Brian could tell he didn't find it funny at all. He stood up and went to Joe to take over his things.

"Go put on some dry clothes, I'll make you something so you can warm up," he suggested. Joe smiled thankfully at him and headed for his bedroom.

Brian walked into the kitchen and started searching the cupboards for soup.

After a while he heard Joe coming out of his bedroom, so he yelled without looking up, "Hey Joe, did you see the pack of soup I got last week? I can't seem to find it…"

"Ow yeah… I'm sorry, I got really hungry yesterday so I kind of ate that already," he heard Joe saying while entering the kitchen.

Brian took his head out of the cupboard but before he could give Joe a piece of his mind, his eyes widened and he seemed to have lost his voice.

Before him stood Joe in nothing but his sweatpants, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

"It's… it's f-fine," he stuttered. "I'll just… I'll just go to the store and get some… some soup." He felt his cheek flush and he wanted nothing more than to disappear as quickly as possible.

Before Joe could say anything , he grabbed his coat and keys.

When he opened the front door, lightning struck and a thunderclap was heard. Brian swallowed hard, but he had no choice.

Joe appeared right behind him.

"You want to go through that, just for some soup?" he raised one of his eyebrows.

"Yes…" answered Brian, but it sounded more like a question.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I'll go with you."

Brian didn't protest, even though he knew he should.

By the time they were almost at the store, the heavens opened up and the storm erupted at full force. They took shelter under the roof of a café.

"That's the second time today I'm all wet," Joe grumbled.

Brian started to quiver, he was cold and honestly terrified. Joe noticed, but didn't say anything.

There were more people that gathered under the roof and they were forced to stand closer to each other. A thunderclap made Brian jump up and he whimpered before he could stop himself.

"Alright, that's enough," Joe decided. He grabbed Brian by his shoulders and steered him towards the entrance door of the café.

"What are you doing?" Brian wondered.

"We're obviously going to be here for a while and you really need to get out of the storm, so we might as well grab a coffee while we're here," Joe explained while opening the door.

The café was loaded with people, all taking shelter from the storm. They found a free table in the back and Joe went to the counter to get them some coffee.

Brian looked at Joe and the barista, who was obviously flirting with him. He couldn't blame her really, Joe loved working out and that showed. It didn't help he liked wearing tight shirts to accentuate his muscles either. Not that Brian complained, on the contrary.

Joe came back with their coffees and a piece of paper. He folded it and used it as a coaster for his cup.

"What's that?" Brian grudgingly asked. He knew what it was, but he wanted to keep talking.

"The girl gave me her number, you want it?" Joe asked.

Brian laughed. "No, thanks. But why don't you want it though? She seems nice." Not that anyone would ever be good enough for him in my opinion, he thought.

"Nah, she's not my type," he sighed and sipped his coffee.

"So… what is your type actually? We never talk much about girls, maybe I can hook you up with someone," Brian suggested.

"Oh…" Joe said, but kept quiet after that. Brian feared he may have gone too far, but eventually Joe went on. "I don't have a type really… I just know what I want and when I see someone, I just go for it once I gathered enough courage. It's not that easy you know."

Brain snorted. "What?" Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Like it's hard for you?" Brian asked. "Is that what you're saying? You're the one to talk, mister Deity-Incarnate!"

Joe's laugh boomed through the café.

"So does that mean someone's caught your eye?" Brian asked hesitantly. He didn't know if he really wanted to hear the answer. If Joe would get a girlfriend, he would spend less time at home… with him. Or worse, she would move in too and he could walk in on them and… he shivered.

"You're still cold?" Joe asked. He felt Brian's cheek with the back of his hand.

The gesture surprised Brian, but he didn't say anything. He shook his head.

"But… to answer your question. Yes. Yes, there is someone that has caught my interest." Joe said, not meeting Brian's eyes.

Brian swallowed loudly. This was it… he thought. I'm about to lose him to some gorgeous girl. He wondered if he would know her.

"So… are you going to tell me or are you keeping it a secret?" he pushed.

Joe rubbed his face. Did he look… nervous? Brian had never seen Joe nervous before. This was new.

"I swore I'd never tell anyone. I thought these feelings would pass but they don't. I… I can't tell you Brian, it would change everything."

"Joe, are you serious? Come on, it's me! You can go and tell Brolden, Joey or one of the girls, but at least you know I wouldn't make fun of you," Brian tried. "Wait… it's one of the girls, right? That's why it would change everything…"

Of course… Brian thought. It all made sense. That was even worse… he would be reminded of them every single time they hang out with their friends.

Joe nodded and Brian's hopes and dreams just shattered right before his eyes. He needed to get out of here, he needed fresh air. But when he tried to get up, he felt a strong hand on his arm.

Joe looked up at him but didn't speak.

"It is someone in our friend group…" he began. Brian closed his eyes, he really didn't want to hear this. He heard Joe mutter something like 'Oh, the hell with it," but he wasn't sure.

"But it's not one of the girls..." he whispered. "It's you."

Brian's eyes snapped open. Could it be true? Did Joe really said that or did he just heard what he wanted to hear?

"Please say something," Joe begged.

Brian cleared his throat, trying to swallow the lump that formed.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that…"

Outside the wind died down and the heavy rain was reduced to soft drizzle, but the two boys in the back of the little café didn't notice. They only had eyes for each other.


	3. Mugged

My first request! Yay! Hope you like it, Nonnie ;-)

 **Prompt** : You tried to rescue me from being mugged but instead you got knocked out and I had to take you to the hospital, after my wallet was stolen.

 **Pairing** : Brian Rosenthal x reader

* * *

You hurried down the street, looking behind you now and then to see if the person you were running away from was still following you. He was.

You cursed under your breath. You simply couldn't keep your mouth shut when you probably should have, but this time it kept haunting you. Literally.

Today had started great though. You'd only had a class in the morning, one in the afternoon and you had auditioned for a new musical about Harry Potter. Your major wasn't musical theatre or drama, but you still went to the auditions, because come on… Harry Potter? That had your name written all over it!

The audition went well and you and a handful of other students were asked to stay behind to read over a couple of scenes. You didn't know anyone, the other students were all acting majors, so you decided to keep yourself in the background. At the end of the first reading you were told you had a part in the musical, but you needed some work on your vocals if you wanted the part you auditioned for. One of the writers of the show, Nick Lang, told you to ask another student to give you some tutorage, and he pointed towards two boys and a girl. However, they were packing up to leave, so you didn't want to disturb them. You went back to Nick and asked about them, you learned that their names were Joey, Brian Rosenthal and Lauren. As it turned out Joey and Brian shared a dorm not too far from your own, and since Lauren didn't even stay on campus, you decided to give the boys a visit in the morning to ask for their help. But that was the morning, it was already dark outside and you really wanted to go home.

While you walked across the campus and back to your dorm, you'd spotted a freshman in trouble. She was cornered by a tall guy, one you didn't recall seeing on campus before. The guy was making advances on her, blocking her path with his arm. It was very clear she didn't like it and was looking for a way out.

This made you angry and a rush of courage sparked up. Before you could think twice, you spoke up.

"I think it's time for you to leave the girl alone, don't you?"

The guy immediately turned towards you, his eyes roaming over your body, but never meeting your eyes. The girl took advantage of the distraction and bolted away.

"Now l-look what you did," he growled, obviously drunk.

You should've left right then and there. But no, you thought it was necessary to rile him up a bit.

"Me? I did nothing. And you should do the same. Leave this campus, you have no business here."

"Oh, I do have some unfinished business, love. I spent a lot of money on that girl, taking her out to dinner, seeing a movie. You're going to pay me back since you ruined our date."

You snorted. "That was all on you, mate. Go home. Get sober. And try to catch up on how to behave around women. Trust me, you need it."

That was a step too far and you realized it too late.

"I said you are going to pay me back. Now!" he yelled. You looked around but no one was there to help. You could probably make it to the nearest dorm building, at the end of the street you were in. Or you could run back towards the theatre but that could be locked if everyone had left in the meantime. Running was the only option, you weren't that big and fighting wasn't your forte at all. But you were fast. Hopefully fast enough.

The moment the drunken guy leapt forward to grab you, you bolted underneath his arms and made a run for it.

So now you were running down the street, being chased by the Drunk Guy. You knew you couldn't lead him towards your dorm, or else he'd know where you lived.

As the dorm building you were running to came into sight you prayed someone was still awake.

You bolted up the stairs to the front door, but when you were on the upper step, you were grabbed by your coat. You screamed in surprise.

"You were fast, missy. But not fast enough!" he laughed, while pulling you down by your arm. You started calling for help, but a hard blow to your cheek silenced you.

"Shut it!" he growled. For a drunken man he was very coordinated in his movements. Guess he wasn't as drunk as you thought. "Now give me your wallet!"

"What?" you asked, rubbing your cheek with your free arm. It felt like your eye had exploded from the blow.

"Your wallet!" he hissed.

Behind you, you heard a window open from one of the dorms on the ground floor. Both you and Drunk Guy turned around. You expected him to let you go, but he didn't.

A head stuck out the window and you recognized it to be Joey, one of the boys you met at the theatre. Relieved, thinking you were about to be rescued, and by someone you kind of knew, you became bolder again.

"Everything okay there?" Joey asked, but then he recognized you, "Oh! You're the girl from the auditions! (y/n), right?"

You nodded. Drunk Guy squeezed your arm a bit harder and whispered, "Get rid of your boyfriend!"

"He is not my boyfriend," you yelled back, not even trying to keep your voice down.

Joey laughed, while leaning on the windowsill. "Oh, you don't need to explain yourself, (y/n). I won't tell anyone. Just try to keep it down, there are hardworking students here who need their sleep." He winked.

You rolled your eyes. But Drunk Guy squeezed really hard suddenly and you couldn't hold back a tiny squeal.

"You sure you're okay?" Joey asked, one eyebrow raised.

You mouthed 'no' while nodding your head. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine."

"Hey Brian?" Joey yelled without looking away, his expression getting a bit more serious.

Brian appeared next to him. "Look who came to visit us!" Joey said a bit too forced. Brian looked at Joey, then at you and finally he laid his eyes on Drunk Guy.

If you weren't in the situation you were in right now, you would probably be mesmerized by his appearance. Back at the theatre, you couldn't get a good look at him but here in the dim light he looked damn good.

Brian smiled and greeted me. "Oh yeah, (y/n) was it, right?" He looked at Joey with questioning eyes and you noticed a silent conversation between the two of them.

Drunk Guy was getting really impatient and you hoped he would just give up.

"What happened to your face, (y/n)?" Brian asked carefully. Your face? You gently touched the side of your face that got hit, and you recoiled from your own touch. Too sensitive. It probably started bruising by now.

"She fell yesterday. None of your business," Drunk Guy answered before you could say anything. God, how long was this guy holding on? If he wasn't keeping your arm in such a tight grip, you would've pulled your arm free and jumped through the window, with Joey and Brian.

"Oh, is that so? Well, Joey, isn't that strange?" Brian asked.

Joey nodded. "Very strange indeed, Brian."

"You see, we saw (y/n) today and spent most of the afternoon and the entire evening with her. And we never saw a bruise," Brian proceeded.

"Not a single one," Joey agreed.

Drunk Guy finally realized what was going on and decided he had enough.

"We got to go," he said and tried pulling you with him. But you weren't making it easy for him, you started struggling and punched the arm that was holding you.

"Hey! Let her go!" Brian yelled, and jumped out of the window into the front yard of the building before Joey could stop him.

Drunk Guy finally let go of your arm and turned to Brian, knocking him out with one blow.

"Oh my god, Brian!" you yelled and fell on your knees beside him, dropping your bag to the ground. Drunk Guy took advantage of that, grabbed your bag and fled.

"Brian?" you tried again, tapping his cheek. Joey came rushing through the front door.

"I'm sorry, I had to grab my house keys or we would be locked out. Jumping out the window is easier than climbing back in. Believe me, I tried once," he chuckled but got serious again when he noticed Brian on the ground.

"We need to get him to the hospital," you said. "Can you take us? That guy took my bag…"

"Yeah, of course. Let me get my car."

While Joey ran towards the parking lot next to the building, you moved Brian so his head could rest in your lap. His eyes fluttered open and you noticed the corners of his mouth twitching.

"I… I sure showed him, huh?" You couldn't help yourself and laughed.

"Hey, you saved me. That's what matters," you smiled, and stroked his hair. But when you realized what you were doing, you held still.

"What's wrong?" Brian asked worried. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

You shook your head. "No, he ran away with my bag right after he hit you."

"I'm sorry," he said, closing his eyes again.

"You're sorry? I should be the one who is sorry. I led him towards your dorm."

"And I'm glad you did. Who knows what could've happened if you didn't."

"Uhm…" you began. "I'm pretty sure it would turn out exactly the same. He would've still run off with my bag."

"Wow, you're really trying to make me feel better…" he chuckled and opened his eyes again.

Joey arrived with the car and helped you get Brian in the back seat.

He turned to you, "Front seat or do you want to sit with our brave knight over there?"

"I'll sit with Brian if you don't mind," you said, feeling the blood rise in your cheeks.

"Of course, someone's got to keep an eye on him, right?" He winked at you while he closed the car door behind you.

"How are you feeling?" you asked Brian, who was now sitting upright.

"Don't worry about me, how are you feeling, (y/n)? It looks like you took quite the hit," he said while reaching for your face. Somehow he managed to touch you even lighter than you had. It didn't hurt at all. You felt the blush creeping up again, and this time you didn't try to hide it.

"It's nothing. We'll have the same look tomorrow," you joked. Brian laughed, and you thought you heard Joey chuckle too.

"We make a perfect pair," he said, realizing too late what he just said. "I uhm… I mean…" He awkwardly rubbed his neck.

"Relax," you said. "You were out cold for a couple of seconds. I won't hold you responsible for the things you say, promise." He returned your smile. You would do anything to see that smile again. You shook your head, trying to clear it from these thoughts.

"You okay?" Brian asked.

"Yes!" you sigh exasperatedly. "Stop asking me if I'm okay! I am!"

"He can't help it, (y/n)," Joey says with a mischievous look in his eyes, that you can't place. While you drive into the parking lot of the hospital, Brian finally notices where you are.

"The hospital?" Brian asked.

"Where did you think we were going?" Joey asked him. Brian shrugged.

"You were unconscious, Brian. You could have a concussion. We need to be sure," you spoke up.

"Alright," he says. "But only if you get a check-up too." He holds out his hand and you hesitate for a moment before you take it. You tried really hard to ignore the strange feeling in your stomach.

"Are you lovebirds ready to go inside?" Joey yells from the entrance.

Joey drove both of you back to campus. As promised, you got someone to look after you too. Neither of you had a concussion and you were cleared to go home.

When you arrived back at the boys' dorm, Brian turned towards you.

"You need someone to walk you home?" he asked.

"Oh…" you answered. Out of the corners of your eye you saw Joey doing his best to leave you guys alone, but he wasn't very discreet about it.

"Or not," Brian chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh no! No, no! It's not that!" You quickly answer to him. "It's just… I live in the building next door. So it's not much of a walk."

And Brian showed you his smile again. You probably should go home, but you wouldn't mind staying outside a bit longer. You were in excellent company.

"There was something I wanted to ask you, though," you broke the silence. "According to Nick I need some work on my voice-"

"I'd love to," he interrupted me.

"Alright then… I'll see you tomorrow?" He nodded in response and you headed back to your own dorm.

"It's a date!" he laughed.

A date… you liked the sound of that.


	4. Pool Party part 1

**Prompt** : 'My friend invited me to a pool party and you tossed me in the pool with my phone in my pocket. Now you're apologizing profusely and offering to replace it.'

 **Pairing** : Joey Richter and Lauren Lopez

 **Background** : College AU

 _(Note: this was supposed to be a oneshot, but it got a bit out of hand. So expect 3 or more chapters for this prompt... Whoops!)_

* * *

Lauren had overslept this morning. She didn't have enough time to get her morning latte and now, while running down the college halls, she was starting to get in a really bad mood.

Her roommate hadn't woken her up – she'd be getting it later today – and somehow the alarm on her phone hadn't gone off, yet when she checked it, the sound wasn't muted and it was activated.

Luckily, classes had already begun, so the halls were empty, making it easy for her to race through. She had thought about skipping her first class, but she was a senior now, so she needed to set a good example for the other students.

She'd almost reached her fighting class, she just needed to take the stairs to the upper floor. She took the turn and bolted up the stairway and… BAM! Lauren flew back and landed on the ground, surrounded by all of her belongings.

Her assailant wasn't any better off. He had landed on the stairs and was rubbing his backside while getting back on his feet.

She looked around and began gathering up her belongings.

"Are you alright?" she heard him ask.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, a bit harsher than she had meant to. She knew he wasn't to blame, nor was she. It was just bad timing, but now she was really late for class. "I'm sorry, I am in a hurry, because I'm already late for class and- oh no!" She cut herself off, having caught sight of her phone. Or what was left of it.

During her fall from the stairs, her phone had gone flying out of her pocket and was now in pieces spread over the floor.

"Oh damn, that's tough," the boy said. Lauren finally took the effort of looking up at him. He was really tall, easily a foot taller than her, dark brown hair with a longer fringe that hung sideways and a crooked jaw. She hadn't seen him on campus before, so she figured he was either a freshman or a new student. She didn't ask.

"You think?" she said to him, raising an eyebrow. She started picking up the pieces and the boy helped.

"I think you might be able to put it together again," he smiled encouragingly while handing her the pieces.

Lauren put them all in her bag and hopped back on the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

"With my luck today, I doubt it!" she yelled and turned into the hallway on the upper floor.

"I'm Joey by the way," the boy yelled back, but Lauren hadn't heard him.

"It's dead…" Lauren sighed and rested her head on her arms.

She was at the cafeteria having lunch with her friends Jaime, Meredith, and Julia. Her phone was lying between them, still in pieces. Sure, she'd tried putting them all together again and Julia had tried as well. But nothing fit anymore and if she was honest, she didn't know how to reassemble it.

"Maybe you can take it to the shop?" Meredith suggested. Lauren raised her head.

"No, I can't afford that. Or a new one, for that matter."

"Do you know who you ran into? Maybe you can talk him into paying for it," Jaime said.

"First of all, no, I didn't know the guy. And secondly, Jaime, I already told you it wasn't his fault. It was just an accident." Lauren sighed. "A fatal accident."

"Fatal? Who died?" a male voice asked. They looked up to see Darren, Joe Walker, Brian Holden and Dylan standing at their table.

"Darren! Look!" Lauren whined, while she waved at the remains of her phone.

The boys went to sit down, and Darren dropped himself next to Lauren.

"What did you do? Sit on it?" Brian asked, immediately receiving a slap on his shoulder from Meredith.

"Oh haha, Brian. Very funny." Lauren snapped.

"Her phone fell to the ground when she ran into some guy this morning," Jaime explained.

Darren almost got a whiplash turning his head that fast. "You met a guy?"

"Oh, you should invite him to our party!" Joe tuned in.

"No! I didn't meet a guy… Wait… What party?" Lauren asked.

"The party can wait, tell us all about your new boyfriend, Lo!" Darren said, resting his head on his left hand.

"Oh my God! How many times do I have to tell you, he's not my boyfriend!" she yelled. "I don't even know who he is!"

Lauren looked at the girls for help.

"Lauren collided with him on the stairs and dropped her things. She left immediately because she was late for class. That's the only thing that happened. Now… about that party," Julia chimed in. Lauren threw her a grateful smile.

"Yes!" Joe reacted enthusiastically. "Our party! We'll have it this Friday at this place we rented. It has a swimming pool and everything. Bring your sleeping bags because we're spending the night."

"Wow, you guys went all out. What's the occasion?" Meredith asked.

"Glad you asked," Brian answered, getting a mischievous look in his eyes. "The reason I'm back here in Michigan is to arrange everything to produce our very own musical!"

"What? Not because you miss us terribly?" Meredith pouted. Brian's reaction was adorable. His ears went red, he wiped his hands on his thighs and cleared his throat. His fondness of Meredith was so obvious it might have been written over his forehead.

"Of course I also miss you guys," he quickly said.

"Relax Brian, she's just teasing you," Darren laughed.

"Tell us about the musical, Brian," Jaime asked.

"Alright, the short version. It's a parody on the Harry Potter story. Nick, Matt and I are still working on the script and don't worry, we're going to cast you all in it."

Lauren clapped her hands. She loved working with her friends on stuff, sure they had worked together on many college productions, but working on your own projects was something different entirely. They had done it with LOTR before and that was one hell of a ride.

"When are we doing the show?" Julia asked.

"Well, that's why I'm here. We want to perform it here at Basement Arts. So I don't know yet, but probably somewhere in March or April."

"We still need a lot of people, so if you know someone that wants to join, we'll probably have auditions at some point. That means for you too, guys. We will make sure you have a part, but if you want a lead or a main character, you're gonna need to audition," Darren explained.

"You're involved too?" Julia asked.

Darren raised his hands. "Hey, who do you think is going to write the music?"

"Hey, Lo," Dylan said. "If you want, I can take a look at your phone."

"You could? I didn't know you knew about this stuff," Lauren said surprised.

"I don't, but I'm willing to try," he smiled.

"Thanks, Dylan. I appreciate it. But I think it's a lost cause."

"Well, if I can't fix it by Friday then we'll have a proper burial at the party," he suggested.

The others agreed.

"You should invite that guy though, so he can say goodbye properly," Joe said.

He could barely avoid the cup Lauren threw at his head.

The day after Lauren was heading towards her dorm, her mind already at the party. It was still two days away, but she couldn't wait.

She already laid out her outfit for the party and she had chosen which clothes she wanted to take with her for the day after. She didn't have a sleeping bag or something that could pass for it, but she figured there would be a comfortable couch in the house. And in the worst case, she could bribe one of the guys for their sleeping bags or use one of them as her pillow. Wouldn't be the first time.

It was getting a bit chilly, which wasn't that odd since it was the end of September. Lauren hated the cold, snow and rain. One day she would move to the South, where it's summer all the time.

But for now, she's stuck here.

She almost tripped over her shoelaces and kneeled down to tie them again. A group of students passed her so she shuffled to the edge of the sidewalk to make room.

She was almost ready when someone hit her at full speed, making her fall on the asphalt and scrape her arm and elbow in the process.

"Why would you squat in the middle of the sidewalk?" she heard the other person mumble while he was trying to get back on his feet.

Lauren ignored him at first and looked at her arm, it stung immensely from all the dirt inside the scrape wound.

"Hey, for your information, I didn't squat in the middle of the sidewalk. I was on the edge. Just look where you're going the next time," she said.

"Oh, it's you!" the guy exclaimed suddenly. Lauren looked up and immediately groaned.

"You again? Are you following me or something?"

"I could say the same thing you know. Look, I'm sorry, I don't have much time, I'm on my way to the theatre and I'm already late. Are you okay?" he says, while taking a few steps back, eager to leave again.

Lauren didn't want his pity or guilt or whatever, so she tried to hide her arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go on, you can't be late," she ushered him away.

The dark-haired guy seemed to hesitate for a second and Lauren prayed for him to leave. If she could make it to her dorm she could clean her wounds and no one would ever know. Her friends still hadn't gotten over her first meet with this guy, she wouldn't dare think of what they would do if they found out they met a second time in similar circumstances. She wouldn't hear the end of it.

"If you are okay, why aren't you getting up?" he asked, taking a step in her direction.

No, no, no, she thought. He needs to leave.

"Alright, fine. I'm getting up, see?" she said, raising her arms and getting on her knees.

But he spotted her arm.

"Oh, you are hurt! Why didn't you say so?" he said, rushing at her side.

"Because it's nothing and you need to go!" she snapped. She inhaled deeply before she spoke again. "You're going to be late. Go to the theatre, I can take care of myself."

"I really am sorry about your phone," he tried again, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Wasn't your fault."

"Yeah well, I have a feeling you're blaming me for it," he retorted, but before Lauren could say anything he turned and left.

"I don't blame you!" she yelled at him, but he didn't turn around.


	5. Pool Party part 2

The house the boys rented was in one word amazing. Lauren was the last one to arrive and she feasted her eyeballs on the expensive-looking furniture.

Joe was laughing. "So, what do you think?"

"I'm thinking this must've cost a fortune!" she laughed.

"We split it between all the guys, so it's not that bad. The others are outside, come on," he said, pulling her towards the back door.

"Joe, wait!" Lauren laughed. "Can you show me to my room, so I can leave my bags there?"

Joe halted and rubbed his neck.

"Yeah, about that… We don't have enough rooms for everybody so you kind of have to sleep in the living room. You brought a sleeping bag like I asked you to?"

"What?" she whined. "Joe, you can't be serious!" She knew there weren't enough beds, but she liked to act like a diva once in a while.

"Relax, Lo," Darren said, entering through the back door. "You're not the only one that needs to sleep here. Who knows, maybe we all camp out in the living room. Nice and cozy."

Lauren dropped her bags and followed Darren and Joe outside.

Nick, Matt, Jaime, Dylan, Meredith, Brian Holden and Julia were all sitting around a small table. The table itself was filled with drinks and snacks. In the back of the garden was the swimming pool, kept out of plain sight by little shrubs and flower beds. Lauren was tempted to put on her swimsuit and take a dive, but she took place in one of the empty chairs instead.

"Since Lauren finally decided to show up, I can make some announcements," Brian started.

There was a collective groan.

"I thought this was a party Brian, not a meeting," Joe complained, grabbing a beer.

"It's about our musical, so sit down and listen," Brian commanded. "We made a list of the characters and who we think would be perfect for the role."

"I thought we needed to audition?" Jaime asked.

"Yeah, well, change of plans. I know what you guys are capable of. Darren still has to write the songs so he can take your vocal range into account if necessary," Brian explained.

Lauren grabbed herself a soda from the table and took the bowl of Dorito's with her. Jaime and Julia both dived in with their hands, under loud protest from Lauren who tried to shield the bowl with her free hand.

Nick handed a piece of paper to Brian, who cleared his throat to draw the attention again.

"Okay, so… This is just a first draft and I assumed you all wanted to join in, so if that's not the case. Please let me know, okay?" He paused to look around, but nobody reacted.

"Fine. Harry Potter will be played by Darren and Jaime, you get to play Ginny Weasley. For Hermione we were thinking about…" Brian paused for dramatic effect. Lauren looked up, expecting to hear her name.

"Meredith?" Brian asked, looking at Meredith, who had almost dropped her beer hearing her name.

The girls all looked at each other.

"W-what about Lauren?" Meredith asked.

Nick started to snicker. "Oh, we have something else in mind for her."

"Look, Mere, we've put your name on it, but we can still change it. Like I said, it's just a draft," Brian said, earning himself a grateful smile from Meredith.

"Joe, we have the role of your life. You'll get to be Voldemort," Brian continued. Joe raised his beer and cheered, earning a pat on the back from Darren.

"Julia, we need you behind the scenes. Help us out with directing, stage, PA and such. Is this okay for you or do you want to join in on the cast?"

Julia waved her hand. "No, it's fine. I'll help you."

"And what about me?" Lauren asked. She was honestly getting a bit scared of what part the guys had in mind for her.

Brian, Nick and Darren all shared a mischievous grin.

"You, my dear Miss Lopez," Brian grinned. "You get to play Draco Malfoy."

Everyone burst out laughing, drowning Lauren's insults towards Brian and Nick.

"You were so good as Frodo, Lo, so why not make it your signature? Playing young boys?" Darren snickered.

"I'll fucking nail the part and you know it," Lauren said smugly. She didn't mind playing Draco, if she was honest she thought it was kind of awesome. But she would never admit it to the others.

"And Dylan?" Meredith asked.

"Ah, our golden voice. Dylan would make an excellent Dumbledore, don't you think?" Brian said. Dylan put his thumbs up.

"What about you, Brian?" Lauren wondered.

"Oh, I'm not playing anyone. I'll stick to writing and directing."

"We still need to find Goyle, Snape, Cho Chang, Lavender, Cedric, Neville, Bellatrix and Quirrell. We might add Molly Weasley too, we're still figuring that out. Maybe someone can take on multiple parts. Anyways, so we're going to have auditions soon to fill in these parts," Nick added.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Jaime asked suddenly.

Nick, Matt and Brian all looked at Jaime, Brian with a slightly panicked expression.

"Who's going to play Ron Weasley?" Jaime continued. Brian's face changed from panic to relief.

"God, Jaime. Give someone else a heart attack will you… Of course we didn't forget Ron. We already cast him," Brian said, handing back the paper to Nick.

Darren looked at his watch. "As a matter of fact, he should be here any minute now. I invited him over. You'll see when he gets here."

Lauren hated to be kept in the dark about something. Why didn't they just tell them who was going to play Ron?

Dylan stood up and walked towards Lauren, handing her something.

"Here," he said. "For you." Lauren looked at the small package in her lap, wrapped in the ugliest paper she ever saw.

"Is this what I think it is?" she squealed, tearing the wrapping and revealing her phone. "Oh my God, you fixed it?"

Dylan laughed. "Don't ask me how, but it's alive again."

Lauren jumped up and hugged Dylan, nearly knocking him over. "Thank you so much!"

He noticed the nearly healed scratches on her arm and elbow. "How did you get these?"

Lauren shrugged. "I tripped over my shoelaces a couple days ago. It's nothing."

Darren came to stand with them. "Honestly, Lauren, you're so clumsy I don't understand why you're not covered in bandages all the time."

"I'm not clumsy! I just like to hug the floor sometimes…" she joked.

Darren's phone went off and he went inside to answer it.

Lauren went to the girls to chat while Joe, Dylan and Brian dragged the music installation outside.

"When are we going for a swim?" Meredith asked.

"Are you kidding me? It's too cold," Julia complained. "The pool isn't heated."

Lauren pouted. "I was really looking forward to dive into that pool. I was expecting a pool party, to be honest."

The music started, but the girls kept themselves aside for a bit. It was getting cold outside, but they didn't want to be the ones to ruin the party. Although Lauren didn't see why they couldn't take the party inside. She was just about to make a comment about it, when Darren showed up again.

"Everyone, can I have your attention please?" Darren screamed above the music.

Joe turned the music down. Everyone waited for Darren to continue.

"I want you guys to meet our Ron Weasley," he said, waving towards a tall, dark-haired guy that came out of the living room, onto the terrace.

Lauren immediately recognized him. "No freaking way," she murmured.


	6. Pool Party part 3

"This is Joey Richter, he's a sophomore and an acting major like we are," Darren explained.

"How come we didn't see you around then?" Joe asked, taking a sip from his beer.

Lauren tuned out the conversation, trying to think of what to do. If Joey looked this way, he would immediately recognize her and then the whole party would be ruined. At least for her.

She felt a bit dizzy and warm. The pool really started to look inviting, but cold water from the tap would have to do for now.

"I… euh… I need to go to the bathroom. Be right back," she said to the girls, leaving without waiting for their response.

She managed to slip inside without the boys noticing her.

"I forgot to ask where the bathroom was," Lauren groaned. Her heart started racing. Was she having a panic attack? She hasn't had one since high school. Why now?

She went down the hall and tried several doors before she got the right one.

She closed the door behind her, and sat herself down on the edge of the bathtub. Her head in her hands, she tried to compose herself taking deep breaths. That usually helped, but now it only made her more anxious and instead of calming down, she started having breathing difficulties.

She cursed and laid down on the cold tile floor. She needed to call someone, but her throat felt like someone was clenching it. She never had it this bad before. Outside she could hear her friends laughing and talking, clearly having a great time. She bet they all thought Joey was such a great guy. Which he probably was, if she was honest, she just had the misfortune of meeting him in bad situations.

Her breathing became really shallow now and she pressed her cheek on the cold floor.

"Julia? Mere?" she tried to yell, but it wasn't loud enough.

She tried reaching for her phone, that was still in her pocket but then she was startled by a series of knocks on the door. Her moment of euphoria became quickly drowned by the voice she heard on the other side of the door.

"Could you hurry?" Joey's voice sounded. "I don't want to be rude, but I really need to pee and you're taking an awfully long time."

"Get Julia," Lauren croaked. The room was spinning, she tried her best not to pass out.

"What did you say?"

But she couldn't answer. She needed to focus on staying awake, talking distracted her.

Joey knocked again. "Are you okay in there?"

No, Lauren thought. Obviously not. Just go outside and get someone, she prayed.

Another knock, followed by the door knob rattling. "The door is unlocked, so if you don't want me to come in, now's the time to say something, okay?"

Lauren felt so lost it didn't even matter who came in. She needed help.

She heard the door opening and saw him kneeling beside her, but she couldn't focus anymore. He grabbed her hands, touched her cheek and forehead and she heard him talking and yelling, but she couldn't make out the words.

The bathroom quickly became filled with people, she felt herself being picked up by strong arms but before she could see who it was, she lost the fight and became submerged by the darkness.

Lauren opened her eyes, but decided to close them again once she saw Jaime's face hanging above her.

"Go away," she groaned.

"You can go tell the others she's fine," she heard Julia say. A door opened and closed again, so she opened her eyes once more.

"You scared us, Lauren," Julia told her, almost reprimanding. "Care to tell me what happened?"

Lauren sighed. "I don't even know why I had the attack…"

"You had these before?"

"Yes, but not as bad as this one. I never passed out before. It happened usually during a stressful moment or when I was scared. I wasn't stressed or scared this time and- … oh!"

Julia's eyebrow went up. "What?"

"Not a word to the others okay?"

Julia shook her head. She was her best friend, if she promised not to tell, she wouldn't.

"You know the guy I told you about, who destroyed my phone earlier this week?"

Julia nodded, so Lauren went on. "Joey is that guy."

She noticed Julia's eyes widen a bit, but she kept a straight face. "And why would that make you stressed?"

"Well, I bumped into him again this week. Actually, it was the other way around. He bumped into me, knocking me over on the street. That's how I got these," Lauren said, showing her elbow. "I wasn't very nice to him the first time, and he was annoying the second time. When I saw him here and heard I had to work with him, I kind of panicked."

Julia didn't respond for a while. But then she said, "He seems like a nice guy though, maybe he just had a bad day when you saw each other again? You're not so enjoyable yourself when you're in a bad mood."

Lauren thought about it. That was possible, but there was still something about him that irritated her. She couldn't pinpoint it.

"Do you still remember everything? Do you remember who found you?" Julia asked.

"Oh no!" Lauren gasped, sitting up straight. She felt herself getting dizzy again, and Julia came rushing to her side.

"Hey, hey, calm down. You were only out cold for a couple of seconds but you should take it easy for a while, Lauren. But at least now I know you remember everything."

Lauren nodded. "It was Joey… of all people. He can't give me a break, can he?"

"He was genuinely worried about you, Lo. He even carried you in here," Julia told her. "He's not so bad."

Lauren groaned. Great, so he came in and saved the day. Mister Nice Guy already has everyone under his spell.

Darren's head came peeping behind the door. Julia gave a small nod and he entered with a plate of food.

"Hi ShortStuff, glad to see you awake," he said cheerfully, while setting the plate down. "I brought you something to eat."

Lauren looked at the plate, which had a couple of sandwiches and a slice of pizza on it.

"I guess you guys ate the rest of the pizza?"

"I'll keep her company if you want, Jules. You can go to the others." Darren said to Julia.

When Julia had left, Darren went to sit at the end of the bed Lauren was in.

"Now… spill," he said.

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Uhm… I don't think so, Darren."

"There's something you're not telling me Lo, and I'm worried okay?" Darren ruffled through his hair. He really needed to get a haircut, it fell sideways over his eyes. He had to wipe it away every few seconds.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Girl problems…" Lauren smiled. She knew it was the ideal excuse to make him drop it. It worked.

"Oh… okay then. Glad it's nothing serious. Not that girl problems can't be serious of course," Darren sighed relieved.

Lauren ate her sandwiches while Darren told her about the change of plans. Since she had the panic attack, none of the others felt like partying anymore. So they were currently all sitting in the living room, eating pizza, playing games and just chatting with each other.

"So, what do you say? Ready to go back to the others?" Darren said, standing up and holding out his hand to her.

Lauren swung her legs over the edge and took his hand. When she was on her feet, Darren grabbed her other hand and asked, "Everything okay? You're not dizzy?"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'm fine. I want to play some games, come on!"

"Sure, then you can finally meet Joey. You might want to thank him though, he was the one who found you," Darren said, dragging her through the hallway.

"I can't wait to meet him," Lauren said sarcastically.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys

I forgot to update here, you can read my stories on Wattpad through this link

my. /trxJWBofpU

I finished Pool Party ages ago so whoops! Sorry!


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